David Tonoyan

David Tonoyan was born on 27 December 1967 in the city of Ust-Kamenogorsk (now Oskemen, Kazakhstan), in the East Kazakhstan Region of the Kazakh SSR. He is the grandson of Hovhannes Hakobov, a veteran of the Red Army who took part in the Second World War.{{Cite web|title=David Tonoyan took part in the joint sitting of the Ministers of Defence|url=https://mil.am/en/news/8337|access-date=2020-09-06|website=mil.am|language=en}} In 1986, he joined the Soviet Armed Forces's Transcaucasian Military District. He moved to Yerevan to attend Yerevan State University, which he graduated from in 1991.{{Cite web|date=2020-11-20|title=Ի՞նչ կենսագրություն ունի Դավիթ Տոնոյանը|trans-title=What is Davit Tonoyan's biography?|url=https://iravaban.net/303339.html|url-status=live|website=iravaban.net|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006194600/https://iravaban.net/303339.html |archive-date=2021-10-06 }} He entered the Armed Forces of Armenia in 1992. In 1997, he graduated from the Military University of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation. Between 1998 and 2007, Tonoyan held various positions at NATO’s headquarters in Brussels, serving as the Armenian Representative to NATO for three years. In 2007, Tonoyan returned to Armenia to head the departments on international military cooperation and defence policy in the Ministry of Defence.

From 2010 to 2017, Tonoyan served as First Deputy Minister of Defence of Armenia, serving under Seyran Ohanyan and Vigen Sargsyan. On 6 February 2017, he was appointed Minister of Emergency Situations.{{Cite web|last=Ghazanchyan|first=Siranush|date=2021-02-06|title=David Tonoyan appointed Minister of Emergency Situations|url=https://en.armradio.am/2017/02/06/david-tonoyan-appointed-minister-of-emergency-situations/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-06|website=Public Radio of Armenia|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006194557/https://en.armradio.am/2017/02/06/david-tonoyan-appointed-minister-of-emergency-situations/ |archive-date=2021-10-06 }}

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan appointed Tonoyan as defence minister on 11 May 2018, three days after Pashinyan took office.{{Cite web|date=2018-05-11|title=Davit Tonoyan appointed Defense Minister of Armenia|url=https://armenpress.am/eng/news/933211.html|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-06|website=armenpress.am|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006194555/https://armenpress.am/eng/news/933211.html |archive-date=2021-10-06 }}

In late August 2020, Tonoyan proposed the creation of a national militia in light of the July 2020 Armenian–Azerbaijani clashes, in order to prepare the society to threats of military nature.{{Cite web|url=https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1026142.html|title=Armenia Defense Minister presents goal of proposed creation of nationwide militia|website=armenpress.am}} The Ministry of Defence under his leadership introduced a draft law into the National Assembly{{Cite web|url=https://www.e-draft.am/projects/2698/about|title=««Տեղական ինքնակառավարման մասին» Հայաuտանի Հանրապետության օրենքում լրացումներ կատարելու մասին» - e-draft.am|website=www.e-draft.am}} creating the militia, which would be open to both men and women and people up to the age of 70, as well as would be organized under local governments, potentially including up to 100,000 members.{{Cite web|url=https://eurasianet.org/armenia-to-create-nationwide-civilian-militia|title=Armenia to create nationwide civilian militia | Eurasianet|website=eurasianet.org}}

File:David Tonoyan, The Defense Minister of Armenia on the front line.jpg

In March 2019, at a gathering of Armenian community representatives in New York, Tonoyan declared that "I, as the Defence Minister, say that the option of return of ‘territories for peace’ will no longer exist, and I have re-formulated it into ’new territories in the event of a new war’",{{Cite web|title=New Territories In the Event of New War,' Says Defense Minister|url=https://asbarez.com/178701/new-territories-in-the-event-of-new-war-says-defense-minister/|access-date=2020-11-20|website=asbarez.com|language=en}} criticizing the Madrid Principles which envisioned the peaceful return of the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani control. This statement, later popularized as "new war for new territories", was widely criticized and regarded as one of the provocations that ruled out negotiations on Nagorno-Karabakh{{Cite web|title=After peace negotiations, threats of war break out between Armenia and Azerbaijan|url=https://eurasianet.org/after-peace-negotiations-threats-of-war-break-out-between-armenia-and-azerbaijan|access-date=2020-11-20|website=eurasianet.org|language=en}} and later caused Second Nagorno-Karabakh war,{{Cite web|title=Without Russian Aid to Armenia, Azerbaijan Has the Upper Hand in Nagorno-Karabakh|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/10/09/russia-aid-armenia-azerbaijan-putin-nagorno-karabakh/|access-date=2020-11-20|website=foreignpolicy.com|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=What is behind the Nagorno-Karabakh flare-up?|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2020/10/19/what-is-behind-the-nagorno-karabakh-flare-up/|access-date=2020-11-20|website=aljazeera.com|language=en}} which resulted in Azerbaijan taking control of the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, Shusha, Hadrut region, Madagiz, Talish and other parts of the former NKAO.

After the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement was signed, he denied rumors he sold arms to pro-Turkish militants in Syria via a private company, allegations of which appeared in the Armenian media. Related accusations that were also denied was the claim that it turned down an offer to purchase body armor jackets from Russia as well as the claim that Tonoyan was in the Maldives to attend a relative’s birthday party when the war started.{{Cite web|title=Armenian Defense Ministry Denies Reports that Tonoyan Sold Arms to Turkey|url=https://hetq.am/en/article/124329|access-date=2020-11-17|website=Hetq.am|language=en}}

On 20 November 2020 he tendered his resignation.[https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1035443.html Armenia’s Defense Minister steps down] Armenpress, 20 November 2020 In his farewell address, he apologized to those who lost loved ones during the war.{{Cite web|title=David Tonoyan's message|url=https://mil.am/en/news/8699|access-date=2020-11-21|website=mil.am|language=en}}

On 30 September 2021, Tonoyan was arrested by the National Security Service of Armenia and accused of fraud and embezzlement causing nearly 2.3 billion Armenian drams ($4.7 million) worth of damage to the state together with arms dealer Davit Galstyan.{{Cite web|last=Khulian|first=Artak|last2=Nalbandian|first2=Naira|date=2021-09-30|title=Former Armenian Defense Minister Arrested|url=https://www.azatutyun.am/a/31485969.html|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-06|website=Azatutyun|language=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210930131849/https://www.azatutyun.am/a/31485969.html |archive-date=2021-09-30 }}

He is currently married and has two children.{{Cite web|url=http://people-archive.ru/character/david-edgarovich-tonoyan|title=Давид Эдгарович Тоноян - биография и семья|website=people-archive.ru}}{{cite web|url=http://www.gov.am/en/gov-members/720/|title=Official Government Website|accessdate=2018-07-27}} He is fluent in Russian, English, and French. He is a master of sports in judo.{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}

• Order "For Services to the Father''land"{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}
• Medal "For Meritorious Service"{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}
• Vazgen Sargsyan Medal{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}
• Andranik Ozanyan Medal{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}

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Category:1967 births

Category:Living people

Category:Ministers of defence of Armenia

Category:Kazakhstani people of Armenian descent

Category:Soviet Armenians

Category:People from Oskemen